April 7, 1997

Dearest John & Julianna; Roy, Patrice, Emily, Timothy & Jesse; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, Lee Anna & Jimmy:

It looks like Spring outside but it doesn't feel like it. It has really been cold this past week and I guess it isn't going to get any warmer for awhile. Everything is SO pretty and my daffodils have been so gorgeous and I'm sure the cold weather will keep them that way for a little bit longer. I cut some to put on Daddy's grave on the 3rd and they were frozen when I picked them but they thawed and were okay - that surprised me. I saw the flowers that Jeannie and her family had put on his grave the week before and Ann told me yesterday that she put a plant on it yesterday. We have now passed the 5 year anniversary of his death and it has gone so quickly.

What a fun, fun day I had yesterday. Bob & Claire invited the family to come to their home for dinner to watch the afternoon session of conference and it was so WONDERFUL to be together. John and Julianna couldn't be there - John had to go to Las Vegas for a trade show and Julianna needed to catch up on some work at home. AND of course we missed the Roy Mellors. We also missed Susanna who had a great experience - she went with her friend, Breanna Pinegar to General Conference and they had seats in the tabernacle. They also went to lunch with the Presidency of the Women Auxiliaries in the Lion House. - not many people have that opportunity. Claire and Bob served Mexican food and I have never tasted such good chicken and I have never had it in those little tortilla shells - I LOVED it. It was special too to have Bob and Alice Ezell with us - I haven't seen them since they came to my birthday party and they look SO good. Bob's knees have healed so well and he is walking very normal now - Alice is SO thin and I'm envious!!!

I LOVE to be with my grandchildren and see them grow so beautifully. Michael has a new job at Smiths Grocery Store "bagging" groceries and I'm proud of him. He is SO big and good looking. It was fun to visit with Barji and hear all about her plans for the future - she is showing some interest in going to Utah State University when she graduates from high school a year from now. She has a 4 point average this last semester and you can't do better than that. I would love to have some of my grandchildren go to Daddy's and my alma mater - We LOVED Utah State. It was also fun to have Jessie tell about playing her violin in a quartet for wedding receptions and GETTING PAID FOR IT. She is so cute as she admits that she is a "violin nerd". How wonderful that she loves her violin that much and she will all her life!!! I AM SO PROUD OF MY GRANDCHILDREN!!! I forgot to check on Brett's injured knee but he was playing hard so it must be better.

I had a busy week last week. I went to Sandy to attend a wedding reception for one of my neighbors - Melissa Savage. It was her second marriage and very interesting but beautiful and I am thrilled for her. She has a little daughter from her first marriage and the invitations were unique - her daughter announced her marriage.

I also went to the Orem Women's Club meeting. The program was good - they had Mr. Whitacker tell about how he organized the Pioneer Wagon Train for the church's sesquicentennial. Utah has done so many things to honor the pioneers this year - the focus of the conference yesterday was to help us preserve our heritage. I could never have been a pioneer but I'm grateful that I have ancestors who endured the hardships of that life,.

Speaking of ancestors and pioneers - Carol Ann Willardsen has made a new invitation for our reunion. It is going to be more elaborate than I had planned but it will be good and I was thrilled to get the support of the family yesterday. My family is willing to do anything to help and that means SO much!!! I will be sending the recommendations that were made yesterday to Carol Ann and then she will make the final copy of the invitation and I will send it to you. She has kinda' dragged her feet and I hope she will finish it soon so it can be sent to everyone. People are making Summer plans and they need to get this on their calendars.

Some of my very dearest friends had a real tragedy last week. We had a very special young man serving as Mission Secretary when we first went to Billings. John Spencer is his name and he helped us get oriented and was so good to our John. John and John spent a lot of time together and we appreciated him so much. It wasn't planned but we ended up buying our home in the ward where his parents - Jim & Janet - live and we became good friends. They visited Lynn often while he was ill and have come to see me every year during the Christmas holidays. I have two very special gifts from them - one a book in which Jim Spencer wrote Lynn a beautiful poem and another is a beautiful piece of crocheted handwork that Janet made.

Janet was diagnosed with stomach cancer about two years ago and even though she is doing quite well her prognosis is not good and she knows it is terminal. They have tried to crowd everything they possibly could into her last few years and they have traveled in a new recreational vehicle and they recently bought a condominium in St. George where they could spend their Winters. They only had two children - John and a daughter, Tammy. Tammy and her husband and two little boys traveled from Bountiful to St. George to spend Easter with them. They left St. George about 1:30 in the afternoon to come home on Monday after Easter and had a terrible accident in Parowan about 3 o'clock. Both Tammy and her little baby boy were killed. Tammy's husband was driving and apparently he went to sleep and overcorrected the car and it rolled several times. His name is Jeff Olsen and he had just started his own graphic artist business - Tammy was teaching business at Bountiful High. Their 7 year old son wasn't seriously injured - his arm was broken. Jeff has very critically injured and will be in the hospital for months - they say it will be a miracle if they can save one of his legs.

My missionary friend, John, spoke at the funeral on Saturday and he did a beautiful job. It was held in a Bountiful Stake Center and there wasn't a vacant seat. I thought about asking you, John, to go with me but then I decided it would take your whole Saturday and that wouldn't be fair. I was SO glad I had gone - when John Spencer saw me he was pleased that I was there. It was a stormy day and I had problems finding the church but it was worth it.

I know many of you think I dwell on things like this too much but it has hurt me so deeply to think of what they are going through and what is ahead of them. They are truly wonderful people. They have started an "Education Fund" for the little boy who survived and we are trying to get people in our ward to contribute to it.

Patrice - thank you for your sweet note. I can tell you guys are super busy and I appreciate your taking time to think of me. I always remember my mother calling me one time and saying, "Barbara Jean, you don't even know what year it is". She showed me letters I had written to her that had the wrong year dates on them. So I really do understand. Arkansas has had a lot of rain and I'll bet everything is in full bloom. I'm glad Emily had a happy birthday - I love it when little girls love their dolls so much!!!

I am going to tutor for three more times and then I will quit. The school will have their Spring Break beginning on the 17th so the Tuesday before that will be my last day. I have enjoyed it and the little children I have been working with are about up to their grade level.

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